An Account of the Inaugural Tessier Skull Exhibition at the University of Paris Descartes

J Craniofac Surg. 2015 Oct;26(7):2035-7. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000001980.

Abstract

Paul Tessier is widely regarded as the father of modern craniofacial surgery. Upon his passing in 2008, his private collection of human skulls was purchased by the French Association of Facial Surgeons to ensure the collection would remain in France. The first public exhibition of the skulls was held in the medical museum of the University of Paris Descartes in April 2014. From this collection of skulls and the imagination of Tessier an entirely new specialty was created. Modern craniofacial surgery, now is an integral part of any pediatric plastic surgery department. Cranial and facial osteotomies have also become commonplace in both traumatic and aesthetic surgery. The goals for craniofacial deformity are now a return to completely normal appearance and function, as Tessier always believed they should be.

Publication types

  • Biography
  • Editorial
  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Craniofacial Abnormalities / history*
  • Craniotomy / history
  • France
  • History, 20th Century
  • History, 21st Century
  • Humans
  • Museums*
  • Paris
  • Plastic Surgery Procedures / history*
  • Surgery, Plastic / history

Personal name as subject

  • Paul Tessier